Chemical materials and their regulation of the movement of molecules

Materials chemistry has been fundamental to the enormous field that encompasses the delivery of molecules both to desired sites and/or at desired rates and durations. The field encompasses the delivery of molecules including fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, food ingredients, fragrances and biopharmaceuticals. A personal perspective is provided on our early work in this field that has enabled the controlled release of ionic substances and macromolecules. Also discussed are new paradigms in creating biomaterials for human use, the non-invasive delivery of molecules through the skin and lungs, the development of intelligent delivery systems and extensions to nanomedicine. With the advent of potentially newer biopharmaceutics such as siRNA, mRNA and gene editing approaches and their use being limited by delivery, future research in this field may be more critical than ever before.